Letters

Welcome to Grayson County! I found this county 35 years ago.
It is truly God’s Paradise – not only the geography, but the people here are truly “Heart Folks” — the “natives” and those who have come here in recent years.
I have had concerns for years and have voiced this concern several times. The highway department continues to spray toxins along New River and its tributaries to kill the weeds by the guardrails, plus shrubbery along all the roadways throughout the county.

For the past month I have been fortunate to be in the Troutdale area enjoying a wonderful mountain escape from my eastern North Carolina hot and humid summer.

In addition to the friendly folks in the region, I was surprised and thrilled to discover that the Grant Community Computer Center in the Grant Grange Hall has a wonderful computer center with 10 new desktop computers.

Several weeks ago, a friend and I were traveling by motorcycle through your area when my friend dropped his bike and was injured.
We went to the Twin County Regional Hospital, where we met several helpful people, with two being memorable.
One was a local preacher who was at the hospital to comfort a woman whose charge was injured. The other was the same woman who, I believe, is the principal of the school of the injured girl. I’d like to say I remember their names, but sadly, I can’t.

Why hasn’t the rash of recent burglaries in the Elk Creek section of Grayson County been addressed?
On July 10 between 3 and 9:30 p.m. my home was broken in to. Every spot was checked and jewelry and knives were stolen. I’m not finished with the lost inventory.
In speaking with neighbors, I discovered there have been break-ins in [multiple] places in Elk Creek and one in Fries.
Anything that can’t be nailed down is hauled off from homes, barns, garages. Even dogs have offered no protection.

I recently was a patient in the outpatient department of Twin County Regional Hospital for a eye cataract removal.
I had excellent care from every person of the department.
Also, Dr. Davis and his staff was excellent. I give the department and Dr. Davis an A+.
I believe if more people would try the hospital’s services, they would not want to go to other hospitals.
l think, or rather know, that the hospital does great work.Jane Newman
Fries

As Galax’s Safe Routes to School program winds up its first school year of teaching students about walking and riding bikes to school, we would like to thank the following for their support:
The City of Galax, its council and staff; Galax City Public Schools administration, board and staff; New River Trail State Park staff; parents who participated; Twin County Regional Healthcare and local businesses who donated services and products, including Main Street Bike Shop, George’s Cones and Coffee, Walmart and Durospin.

The recent Gazette editorial encouraging Fries Town Council to revisit the master plan for revitalization was spot on.
For Fries to flourish economically, it must first embrace its history and scenic beauty to attract tourist dollars rather than immediately redefine itself as a site for industrial opportunism.
Successful marketing of existing strengths will grow the economy, elevate community visibility, and attract appropriate business ventures rather than suffer at the mercy of a hodge-podge of disconnected businesses.

The hullabaloo over crossing the red line when it comes to radical nations’ leaders who kill their own people to stay in power.
Talk, excuses and vacation time is the norm for this government.
Here in our own backyard and government are agencies rife with abuse, incompetence, emptiness, stupidity and political favors.
From the way our veterans are treated back from war, to the IRS, National Security Agency and Environmental Protection Agency (run by a bunch of morons), the CIA — all lost in the land of Oz.

Medicare, Medicaid, private party insurance, the (Un)Affordable Care Act, various charities for various ills, strange world indeed.
Police funding from asset forfeiture from drug arrests, used to buy more weapons, body armor and crime scene equipment.
All while there is a bill, HR 4498 put forward by Rep. Morgan Griffith (R‑Va) in Congress to allow states to appropriately use marijuana for health care. Yes indeed it is a strange world.